Media: Press Releases

MIAMI, FL. - April 2, 2001

CombiPatch Acquired By Novogyne Pharmaceuticals

--
Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. marketing rights
to the CombiPatch™ combination hormone replacement patch have been acquired
by Novogyne Pharmaceuticals, a women's health company jointly owned by
Noven and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Novogyne will market
and sell CombiPatch™ (estradiol/norethindrone acetate transdermal system),
the only combination estrogen/progestin patch in the U.S., together with
Vivelle® (estradiol transdermal system) and Vivelle-Dot™ (estradiol transdermal
system).

Novogyne acquired the rights to CombiPatch as part of a series of transactions
involving Novogyne, Noven, Novartis and Aventis Pharmaceuticals, the
U.S. pharmaceuticals business of Aventis Pharma AG. The purchase price
consists of a $25 million up-front payment, followed by four quarterly
installments of $10 million, payable beginning in the second quarter
of 2001. As part of the transaction, Noven received $3.5 million from
Aventis, which amount will be reported as revenue over ten years beginning
in the first quarter of 2001.

In a related transaction, Novartis Pharma AG acquired the development
and marketing rights to future generations of the combination hormone
replacement patch in all markets other than Japan, and Novogyne expects
to sublicense the U.S. rights to these product improvements. Noven will
manufacture CombiPatch and any future combination HRT products, and will
supply the products to Novogyne and to Novartis.

Noven also announced that it had re-acquired from Aventis the exclusive
rights to develop, manufacture and market single-entity progestin patches
for HRT and combination estrogen/progestin patches for contraception. "CombiPatch
will further strengthen Novogyne's women's health franchise and is a
perfect complement to Vivelle and Vivelle-Dot -- Novogyne's estrogen-only
skin patches," said Robert C. Strauss, President of Novogyne and
President, CEO and Co-Chairman of Noven. "With the addition of CombiPatch,
the Novogyne sales force now offers the most advanced and complete transdermal
HRT portfolio in the United States."

Mr. Strauss added: "Today's transactions also assure that future
improved versions of Noven's combination patch will be in the hands of
trusted business partners with the resources necessary to maximize their
success in the U.S. and abroad. In addition, Noven has re-acquired rights
to develop its own progestin and contraceptive patches, which may further
diversify Noven's product line in the years to come."

In separate news released concurrently, Noven announced that the filing
of a New Drug Application for its transdermal methylphenidate system
would be delayed. That press release can be retrieved at www.noven.com.

Analyst Conference Call
A telephone conference among management and
equity analysts relating to Noven's CombiPatch and methylphenidate patch
announcements will be broadcast live via the Internet at www.noven.com
beginning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time this morning, April 2. Thereafter,
a rebroadcast of the call will be accessible at the same web site. For
those without Internet access, a taped replay of the conference call
will be available by telephone from April 2 at 1:30 p.m. until April
4 by calling 800/475-6701 (from within the U.S.) or 320/365-3844 (from
outside the U.S.) and entering the access code 580459.

About Noven
Noven Pharmaceuticals, Inc., headquartered in Miami, Florida, is a
leader in the development of transdermal and transmucosal drug delivery
systems and technologies. Noven has developed and presently manufactures
a series of leading-edge products, including the world's smallest estrogen
transdermal delivery system and the United States' only combination
estrogen/progestin transdermal delivery system. With a wide range of
additional products in development, Noven is committed to becoming
the world's premier developer, manufacturer, and marketer of transdermal
and transmucosal drug delivery systems. For more information on Noven,
please visit www.noven.com.

Forward looking statements contained in this release are qualified
by and subject to the risks and uncertainties specified in Noven's
most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and
in its press releases and public conference calls, in addition to the
risk that Novogyne may require additional capital from its owners to
fund future purchase price installments and/or to fund operations,
that CombiPatch may not be commercially successful as a Novogyne product
due to the emergence of competition or otherwise, that under the terms
of the transaction Novogyne may not acquire the U.S. marketing rights
to product improvements and that combination HRT patch enhancements
and progestin and contraceptive patches may not be successfully developed
or commercialized.